| Racepak Ultra Dash Extreme - Product Review
Imagine yourself playing the role of a pilot flying a commercial jetliner. As you prepare yourself for a routine landing at LAX, you begin to recite those famous words: "Flight 454's landing gear is down and ready for taxi." You begin flipping numerous switches while carefully monitoring and adjusting the hundreds of gauges sitting within arm's reach. Without warning, you feel a sharp slap to the back of your head as your co-pilot gives you the meanest stink-eye. Why would she do that you ask yourself? Then it finally dawns on you, that woman sitting to your right is in reality your girlfriend. And the jet plane you're supposedly piloting? Well, at one time or another, that four-wheeled machine you currently drive resembled a Honda Civic. That was until you decided to plaster the cabin with dozens of tell-tale gauges varying from water temp meters to an oil pressure display, virtually transforming the Honda's cabin into a simulated jet cockpit.
| 1.Here's a close-up of the rear connector locations on the DS-UDXSR revealing, from left to right (port B, serial port, V-Net port, and port A). While port A and B are used primarily as the main wiring sources for the Ultra Dash, the serial port can be used to modify dash configurations, such as altering engine rpm display or adding/removing numerous parameters using optional PC software sold though Racepak.
Sure, we understand those orgy of gauges sitting in your Honda was unintentional. You never intended for things to get so out of hand. But at the same time, you needed to monitor your engines vitals as your K24-powered Civic was pounding the ground with 500hp. Your gauge setup worked out well for the first couple weeks, but you've begun to notice that the Disneyland electrical street parade interior began drawing unwanted attention from everyone- ranging from wannabe street racers to your neighborhood cops. You've finally had it with all the problems associated with those damn gauges and are desperately in search of a simple solution to tidy up that gauge-ridden interior. Does this scenario sound chillingly familiar? Chances are, you have already (or will eventually) fallen into this unfortunate scenario. But don't be discouraged. Racepak, located in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., has developed a clever all-in-one digital dash display that eliminates the need for multiple gauges.
The Racepak 250-DS-UDXSR dash display was designed specifically for the street vehicle in mind. Features include a speedometer, parking brake/signal/high beam indicator, and easy-to-read tachometer. The most important item is a built-in odometer which makes this digital display legal for highway use; an all-important feature that many competitors don't possess. Combine that with a dash unit capable of monitoring water temp, oil temp, oil pressure, fuel pressure, fuel level and battery voltage, and you have a display that can virtually replace every gauge previously in your vehicle. Measuring 4-inches tall by 10.2-inches wide and 2.13-inches deep, the Racepak UDXSR is compact yet larger than many of its competitors' dash displays, making the LCD display easy to read. When used with the optional software, the Racepak dash readout can be custom tailored to the driver's needs, while optional components can be purchased to datalog up to 32 channels of data at a sample rate of 100 seconds with 1mb of memory storage. Equipped with an external shift light trigger and engine check light feature, the UDXSR display is a hardcore car enthusiast's dream come true. And with an MSRP of $695, we like to think of the RacePak as the smarter alternative solution to that airplane cockpit you refer to as your interior.
